Test ride: Hyosung GT 250R

It's been released in a market crowded with 250s. But is this just another "me-too" sportsbike?

It's been released in a market crowded with 250s. But is this just another "me-too" sportsbike?

Hyosung was the first motorcycle maker to give India a taste of true-blue 250 cc sportsbikes when they tied up with the now-defunct Kinetic Engineering Limited to launch the likes of the Aquila 250 cruiser and the Comet 250 naked sportsbikes. The South Korean motorcycle manufacturer, which has now tied up with the DSK group (of property fame), is all set to bring us another 250 cc wonder. Despite the Honda CBR 250R and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R begging us not to, we went ahead and swung a leg across the latest Hyosung GT 250R. Here’s what we made of it.

First impressions: the Hyosung GT 250R felt big – much bigger than the other 250s it competes with. On the road, many bikers would mistake this fully-faired machine for something much bigger – a 600 cc or probably even a 1,000 cc sportsbike. This has much to do with the GT 250R sharing almost everything, except its engine, with its bigger sibling, the GT 650R. That size gives the 250R terrific road presence, and gives you an ego boost that convinces you you’re riding something much bigger than you actually are.

The expansive fuel tank and low seat, coupled with the clip-on handlebars, require you to stretch into the riding position. While all of this sportiness is fine on the track, it could get tiresome in the city if you're not fit enough to stay in a prone position for long periods of time. But in sportsbikes country, we aren’t complaining. Settle into a comfortable stretch, and then you can begin to ride hard and fast. To help you do that, there’s a unique-in-class, air-oil cooled V-Twin 250 cc engine that pumps out 27.5 hp at 10,000 rpm, all of which can culminate in 22 Nm of peak torque at 8,000 rpm. While you'd expect typical low-end grunt from a V-Twin motor, the GT 250R surprises with a peaky power delivery.

What this means is that you've got to really rev the motorcycle before you can get some speed. The motor notes are grunty, and sound better than both the Ninja 250R and CBR 250R. You'd be better off working the smallish torque band than going chasing revs. If like us, however, you’d prefer to do the latter, know that the GT 250R manages to clock a top speed of about 145 kph, with the 0-100 kph sprint coming up in about 10 seconds. While its performance is more than decent, it isn't class leading by any means. Unfortunately, the engine begins to sound and feel stressed at the higher reaches of the rev range.

When it comes to the ride and handling, the GT250R impresses with a terrific ride quality, which comes at the expense of sharp handling and turning in. The bulky GT 250R frame, all 188 kgs of it, makes it unwilling to change direction quickly. The real worry with this bike, though, is its price of Rs 2.75 lakhs – a lakh more than you’d pay for the CBR 250R. Buy the GT 250R if you actually want the feel of a big bike with the economy of a small one – the GT 250R will return about 28-30 kmpl. Do you think you’ll make up that lakh soon enough in petrol savings?